Purdue HR launches new supervisor enablement program

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue Human Resources is launching a new supervisor enablement program designed to give supervisors practical tools and timely support for leading teams throughout the employee experience.

Offered by Purdue’s talent management team, the program focuses on the moments that matter most — hiring, onboarding, coaching, performance conversations, career growth and leading through change — so supervisors can lead with greater clarity, consistency and confidence.

The program includes three connected learning opportunities:

1. Leading at Purdue: A series of 10 practical workshops supervisors can choose from based on their most immediate needs. Held virtually, each session features real-world scenarios, peer discussion and ready-to-use tools tied to core supervisor capabilities, including communication, coaching, performance, team effectiveness, career development and data-informed decision-making. Workshops are offered monthly September through December and January through June. Available now.
2. RISE Leadership Academy: A structured, cohort-based experience for supervisors ready to take a deeper, more comprehensive approach to their growth as leaders. RISE guides participants through assessments, coaching, applied practice and a capstone to develop capability over time rather than in a single sitting. Coming winter 2027.
3. Resource Hub: A collection of tools and resources supervisors can access on demand to support their day-to-day needs and continued development. Coming spring 2027.

“Supervisors shape the employee experience every day through the conversations they lead, the decisions they make and the support they provide,” said Brenda Coulson, senior director of talent management in Human Resources. “Because they play such a critical role in employee engagement, belonging, performance and retention, this program is designed to help supervisors translate Purdue’s values and talent priorities into everyday actions that help employees work, develop and thrive.”

‘Smart Hiring: Building Your Team with Intention’ kicks off the Leading at Purdue series

The series begins Sept. 23 at 10:30 am. ET with “Smart Hiring: Building Your Team with Intention.” A successful hire starts with being clear about who is needed, what success looks like and how it will be evaluated. In this interactive session, supervisors learn practical ways to strengthen each stage of hiring — from creating an attractive, relevant job posting to identifying resume criteria, developing competency-based interview questions and using reference checks to validate what they’ve learned. The session explores how AI can support the work, where human judgment matters most and how every interaction contributes to the candidate experience. Supervisors also hear what Purdue applicants are saying about their experience — what is working, where things can go wrong and the simple practices that make a difference.

Registration is now open for the “Smart Hiring: Building Your Team with Intention” session via the Leading at Purdue webpage along with information on the full workshop series.

Supervisors who want to strengthen hiring practices and build skills they can apply right away are encouraged to register early as space may be limited.

Questions

Contact teclearning@purdue.edu with questions about the supervisor enablement program.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a research institution ranked among the top 10 public universities in the United States. More than 106,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, including more than 57,000 at our main campus locations in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. As a land-grant university committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 14 years in a row, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free.